Canopy for loading cars



Jan. 5 1926.

A. T. MCWANE CANOPY FOR LOADING CARS Filed' Nov. 5, 1923 III @HamaPatented Jian. 5, 1926.

ARTHUR T. MCWANE, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

CANOPY FOR LOADING CARS.

` Application filed November To all whom z' may concer/n.:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR T. MGWANE, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State ofAlabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Canopiesfor Loading Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a canopy adapted to be detachablymounted uponrailroad freight cars and the like for the purpose of protecting theworkmen and merchandise lduring the loading and unloading of cars.

My object is to provide a canopy which can be readily attached to anddetached from any t1 pe of railroad freightcar utilizing stanc ard partsof such car for both mounting and bracing the canopy in operatingposition.

A further object is to provide the canopy with a water collecting troughto discharge laterally the water falling thereon either directly or fromthe roof of a loading shed or warehouse.

A further object of my invention is to adapt the frame supports for thecanopy to be readily taken apart or collapsed so that they can beconveniently stored and shipped in compact form.

My inventionl also comprises the novel details of construction andarrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiments only areillustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of thisspecification, and in which Fig. 1 is a side view of a freight carequipped with my improved loading canopy.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the canopy with the car shown in crosssection.

Fig'. 3 is an enlarged detail View broken away of the element formounting and bracing the canopy which is shown fragmentally.

Fig. i is a modified type of brace for use with wooden cars only.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout thedrawings.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated in'Figs. 1 to 3,I show the canopy l formed by a strip of canvas or rain proof fabric ormaterial of any character, which at its upper end carries a series ofhooks 2 mounted in eyes 3 in the canopy and adapted to engage over t-herunning board 4 on the roof 5 of a freight car G.

5, 1923. serial No. 672,909.

These hooks 2 are typical of any suitable means to attach ther upper endof the canopy to the car'preferably beyond'the ridge of its roof. In thelower end of the canopy I form a loop or bite 7 to receive a pipe orlike member 8, the ends of which preferably project beyond the sides ofthe canopy and each is provided with an opening 9 to receive the tip 10of a brace bar or inclined support 11, and also is provided with anopening to receive a hook 12 fast on one end of a stay rope or chain 13which yat its other end is adapted to be passed through a hand grip 14or a ladder step 15 von the car and to be tightened and held by clampblocks 1G in the manner well understood for suchstays.

Preferably the lower end of each brace 11 is attached to a heavy bearingblock 17 having on its upper end an eye 18 for connection to asuspension rope or chain 19 carrying at its upper end a hook member 20,adapted also to engage over the running board 4t and support the block17 and brace in the position shown bearing upon either the side wall ofthe car or its door 21. rlhe bracing and stay means for each end of thecanopy are alike and are disposed on each side of the car door.

When it is desired to form a trough for the lateral discharge of watercollecting on the canopy, I provide a rod or pipe 22 which is presseddown in the free end of the canopy adjacent to the rod 8 until its endscan be slipped under the braces 11. These braces carry stops 28,preferably in the form of screws which are attached to the braces ll andproject sufficiently below the same to forin stops to prevent the rodriding up the brace 2Q. By this arrangement the canopjr is deeplyindented across its lower end so as to form thereby a trough open at itsends and thus adapted to discharge the water away from the path of theworkmen loading and unloading the car. This is of particular advantagewhere the canopy projects under a loading` shed or warehouse roof fromwhich a considerable volume of water is being discharged and added tothe water falling directly on the canopy itself.

There the canopy is to be used solely with wooden cars the heavy basebloei: 17 and its suspension elements 18, 19 and 2O for each brace canbe dispensed with and a pointed Spud 2l can be mounted on the lower en'lof each brace 1l which can be driven into the sides of the Car and willhold when the stays 13 are tightened.

The canopy can be made of any desired width or length according to localrequirements.

Though I have described with great particularity the details of theembodiment of the invention herein shown, it is not to be construed thatI am limited thereto, as changes in arrangement and substitution ofequivalents may be {made by those skilled in the art Without departing`from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. A deinoiintablc canopy for railway freight cars, *comprising a canvascanopy, means to detachably connect the upper end of the canopy to thetop of the car, means to brace the outer end of the canopy outwardlyfrom the car, means to transversely depress the canopy to form a trough7and end stays to brace the canopy endwise which are detachably connectedto end elements of the car.

2, A loading canopy for railroad freight cars` comprising a canopyadapted to reach and be detachably connected to the ruiming board on thetop of the car, and means to le/sted therein.

et. A loading canopy for railroad freight cars, comprising a canopyadapted to extend over the car ruiming board and having vhooks to engagesaine, braces adapted to engage the car on each side of 'its door, arigid cross member attached tothe outboard end of the canopy to whichmember said braces are connected, and Vmeans to support the braces inset position on the car A deinountable canopy for railway freight cars,comprising a canopy, means to brace one end of the canopy in positionoverhungfrom one side of the car, and means to detachably connect theother end yof the nanopy to the car on the other side of the ridge ofits roof.

In testimony ivhereof I affix ii'iy signature.

ARTHUR' T. Mmmm.

